Storing olives, capers etc once opened

~Chameleon~

Yet again this morning I've had to throw out an almost full jar of black olives that I only opened a week or two ago to use in a greek salad. I put the jar in the fridge after I opened it and wanted to use some today in a moroccan tagine dish but they've gone off already :mad:

This is always happening to me with things like olives and capers, which I often use just a few spoonfuls at a time for a recipe, so wondered how other people store their's to make sure they stay fresh. Is it possible to freeze them?

Poggie123

I'd be interested to know this too ... I love olives but OH and DD's hate them so I don't buy them often because they end up getting wasted

tubbee2

When I buy olives in brine (cheaper than olives in oil) I open the jar, pour the brine away and then keep the olives in a shallow plastic container with lid with sunflower or any other edible oil (obviously olive oil is best but most expensive) poured over to cover. As long as the air can't get to them (and it can't through the oil) they keep for weeks (ok, I keep them for months but then I am too tight to throw anything out!) If the olives lie in a single layer, then the amount of oil needed to cover them is less than if you poured it into the jar. Hope this makes sense

purpleivy

I have a few recipes that use small amounts of stuff, so I freeze what's left if poss. Only use a part can of anchovies for pizza. half packs of salami for the same. Part jar of apricot gunge when decorating a cake... it took ages to learn that the bottom of the fridge isn't good, it goes fluffly as our lot like real jam.

Cornishpixie_2

Ah! sorry about your olives. I tend to eat mine within a couple of days because I really like them. I once embarressed all the kids as I sat in the front row of the pictures eating a tub of olives with a toothpick:eek:

thriftlady_2

Do you mean they got that funny white mould on the surface of the brine ? I've always thought this was normal and harmless. I just rinse the olives and carry on eating them- never done me any harm, but maybe I'm dicing with death :eek: Brine is after all a preservative.

celyn90

thriftlady wrote: »

Do you mean they got that funny white mould on the surface of the brine ? I've always thought this was normal and harmless. I just rinse the olives and carry on eating them- never done me any harm, but maybe I'm dicing with death :eek: Brine is after all a preservative.

I do this too - I thought it was normal and just a precipitate of some salty gunk rather than something fluffy. I didn't think much would grow in saline - have I been eating nasty things? *gulps*

thriftlady_2

celyn90 wrote: »

I do this too - I thought it was normal and just a precipitate of some salty gunk rather than something fluffy. I didn't think much would grow in saline - have I been eating nasty things? *gulps*

Glad it isn't just me

~Chameleon~

thriftlady wrote: »

Do you mean they got that funny white mould on the surface of the brine ? I've always thought this was normal and harmless. I just rinse the olives and carry on eating them- never done me any harm, but maybe I'm dicing with death :eek: Brine is after all a preservative.

Yes, that's exactly it!!! Like a white film floating in the brine and coating the olives. So they are still ok to eat like this then???

Would it be terrible of me to go rescue them from the bin? :rotfl:

scrimperjan

Weezl's just posted a recipe for green olive tapenade on her Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge... thread today (Sorry, I'm no good at links, but it's post no. 184). That's what I'll be trying next time I have leftover olives, sounds yum!

thriftlady_2

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Yes, that's exactly it!!! Like a white film floating in the brine and coating the olives. So they are still ok to eat like this then???

Would it be terrible of me to go rescue them from the bin? :rotfl:

I found this info here -question 15